It can be argued that the Midpoint is the single most important plot point in a story.
According to “Creating Character Arcs” by K.M. Weiland,
“The midpoint acts as the swivel for the entire story. Not only is it a crucial moment of revelation in your character’s arc, it also marks the end of his reactive phase and his transition into active mode” (Weiland p. 95).
I think one of the best representations in film of a Midpoint in action is with the film “Legally Blonde.” Legally Blonde follows presumed airhead and sorority president Elle as she embarks on a mission to get into Harvard Law School in order to win back her handsome, shallow ex-boyfriend Warner. Warner makes it clear that he wants to go to Harvard and marry another lawyer and Elle makes it her mission to be that lawyer.
Elle is in complete reaction mode instead of active mode in the first half of the story as she studies for the LSATs, discovers that Warner is already dating someone new, and struggles through her first few classes as a law student. However, all of that is her reacting to her new environment as a Harvard law student.
It’s not until Elle meets Warner at a party and they talk about the internship that one of their professors is offering, that things begin to change for her. Only a select few students in their class will be selected for the internship and Elle expresses her desire to be chosen. Warner catches her off guard when he tells her “Elle, come on you’re never going to get the grades to qualify for one of those spots.” He goes on to tell her that she could be doing much better things with her time. And that’s when she realizes that Warner will never take her seriously, no matter what she does and he’ll never truly love her.
You can watch this moment here:
At that moment Elle comes out of her reactive phase into a phase of action displayed via montage. She’s shown buying a computer, checking out library books and actually studying. Her peers are even surprised that she seems to be taking her classes seriously. She has a new fire under her because she’s no longer proving to Warner that she’s the perfect woman for him, she now wants to prove to Warner that she can be just as good if not better than him.
Another example of a great Midpoint arc is in Avatar: The Last Airbender
At his midpoint, Prince Zuko is finally offered a chance to rejoin the fire nation and rule alongside his father. He’s offered the thing he’s always wanted but he’s grown a lot during the First Half of the Second Act and he realizes the fire nation kind of sucks and he doesn’t want or need his father’s approval. He’s traveled through the different nations, seeing the terror that the fire nation has caused and after encountering Team Avatar multiple times, and he’s been exposed to the loyalty and friendship between the members, something he’s always needed. He then goes to find team Avatar and spends the second half of his arc learning to accept his flaws and be a good friend.
The only catch with the Midpoint, is that it’s not the end of the story. Your MCs should realize something important, something game changing, but they themselves still have some growth to go through. They still haven’t acquired all the tools they need to overcome their mental (or physical) demons and complete their journey.
Think about what sort of epiphany your character can have at the Midpoint that drives them through the rest of the story. What piece of information are they missing that they can be given at the Midpoint?
The thing Elle has to come to realize at the end of the story is that her uniqueness is what makes her a great law student. She doesn’t need to give up who she is to become a successful lawyer, which is what she will learn in the Second Half of the Second Act which we will talk about next week.
